Is Ippei Mizuhara 's "financial difficulties" a lie? He received a Porsche from Ohtani, paid rent without permission, and "had no expenses" - multiple objections from prosecutors, US reports
On the 30th (31st Japan time), American media ESPN reported that the US Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, California, has disputed some of the claims made by Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani who is charged with bank fraud and other crimes.
In court documents filed Thursday, federal prosecutors disputed allegations that Ohtani's former interpreter stole from him to pay off large gambling debts, saying there was no evidence he suffered from a gambling addiction before he began withdrawing money from Ohtani's bank accounts.
Prosecutors argue that Mizuhara did not have "enormous debts" that would have forced him to steal from Ohtani, as he claims. At the time the first fraudulent transfer of "just $40,000" from Ohtani's bank account was made in September 2021, Mizuhara had more than $34,000 in deposits in his checking account, prosecutors said.
In the filing, Mizuhara said he "had to rent a place to live" near Ohtani, and that he "paid high rent" for the place he eventually settled in Newport Beach, California, while also paying rent for an apartment in Japan. The filing also said he was struggling "before payday."
However, the prosecution wrote in the filing that "this is also not true," and submitted bank statements as evidence showing that "rent was paid using Otani's debit card" without Otani's "knowledge or approval."
"He had no expenses, no loans, no car or rental payments," prosecutors added, noting that Ohtani gave Mizuhara a Porsche. Mizuhara's checking account always had a "significant balance," with more than $30,000 in March 2023 and more than $195,000 in March 2024, prosecutors said.
The document also claims that Otani's wishes prevented Mizuhara from appearing on TV, radio, and in commercials, or writing a book, which would have increased her income, but the document is also rejected. The document also claims that Mizuhara had been encouraged by Otani to "accept offers" to write a book or appear in a commercial, but she turned it down. According to the document, Mizuhara has "written at least one book (a picture book about Otani)."
On the 23rd of this month, the Federal District Attorney's Office requested that the defendant be sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, three years of probation after release, and approximately $17 million in compensation to Ohtani. Meanwhile, the defendant submitted a petition to the presiding judge of the Federal District Court requesting a reduction in his sentence to one year and six months in prison. The sentence will be handed down on February 6th at the Federal District Court in Santa Ana, California.
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